University Partners with Zipcar to Offer Car Sharing on Campus

The University of Hartford has launched a new partnership with Zipcar, Inc., the world’s leading car sharing network, to offer a Zipcar car sharing program on campus. The convenient transportation option is now available at an affordable rate 24 hours a day, seven days a week for students, faculty, and staff ages 18 and older, as well as members of the local community ages 21 and over.

The University of Hartford will initially offer two vehicles, a Ford Focus Hatchback and Toyota Prius, which will be located in Parking Lot F, near Lincoln Theater and the Konover Campus Center. Zipcars are available on-demand and can be easily reserved and accessed 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

This year, University of Hartford members can join for $25, with rates on campus Zipcar vehicles starting as low as $7.50 per hour and $69 per day. After the first year, members will pay an annual membership fee of $35. Gas, insurance, a reserved parking spot and up to 180 miles of driving per day are included in Zipcar rates, and cars can be reserved for as little as an hour or for multiple days. University of Hartford students, faculty and staff can join Zipcar at www.zipcar.com/uhartford.

An event celebrating the University’s partnership with Zipcar will begin at 1 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 3, on the University of Hartford campus,200 Bloomfield Ave, WestHartford. It will include remarks from University President Walter Harrison and Bhavin Shah ’15, a member of the Student Government Association. Zipcar representatives will also be outside Gengras Student Union from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. to showcase the vehicles for photo opportunities, provide technology demonstrations, and allow media to check out the cars.

“Our partnership with Zipcar will allow University of Hartford students, faculty, and staff to share cars in a convenient and environmentally-friendly way,” said John Carson, vice president of University Relations. “We are a small city within the three communities of Hartford, West Hartford, and Bloomfield. This allows us to be even more environmentally friendly to our neighbors. We are also pleased to serve as a resource for our neighbors, who are invited to take advantage of the Zipcars we have on campus.”

Participating members with smartphones, including iPhones and Android devices, may download the Zipcar mobile application to make reservations, lock and unlock the vehicles and honk the horn to help locate the vehicle. Reservations can also be made over the phone or on Zipcar’s website.

“We are excited to bring Zipcar onto the University of Hartford’s campus and provide students, faculty and staff with access to a sustainable transportation option that provides fun and freedom, as well as environmental benefits for their campus,” said Katelyn Lopresti, general manager for Zipcar University.

With the new Zipcar program available on campus, student organizations at the University of Hartford now have the opportunity to participate in the “Students with Drive” grant program sponsored by Zipcar and Ford Motor Company, which provides students with free Zipcar memberships and driving credits to support student organizations on campus.

Through the Students with Drive grant program, Ford and Zipcar will provide $300,000 in grants to be awarded to student organizations at eligible Zipcar colleges and universities. The program is running now through April 2014 and will culminate with one student organization being awarded a grand prize of $5,000 in Zipcar credits, $10,000 in cash for the student organization to put toward its cause and $10,000 in cash to be awarded to the winning school. For more information and to participate in the program, students can visit the “Students with Drive” tab on Zipcar’s University Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ZipcarU.

Zipcar has established partnerships with more than 300 universities across North America. For more information and how to become a member of Zipcar at the University of Hartford, please visit www.zipcar.com/uhartford. Additional information and promotions can also being found by following @ZipcarU on Twitter.